Rome Prize

FAQ

What is offered if I win a Rome Prize fellowship?
Prize recipients are invited to Rome for six months to two years to immerse themselves in the Academy community where they will enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to expand their own professional, artistic, or scholarly pursuits, drawing on their colleagues' erudition and experience and on the inestimable resources that Italy, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Academy have to offer.

Each Rome Prize winner is provided with a stipend, meals, a bedroom with private bath, and a study or studio. Those with children under 18 live in partially subsidized apartments nearby. Winners of 6-month and 11-month fellowships receive stipends of $16,000 and $28,000, respectively. Winners of the 2 year fellowships receive $28,000 annually.

How long is the fellowship?
Rome Prize recipients are generally invited to Rome for eleven months (some design fellowships are six months and some pre-doctoral art history fellowships are two years). Applicants in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Historic Preservation and Conservation have a choice of either six- or eleven-month fellowships. Please see the program guidelines for more details.

Is the fellowship open to all?
No, applicants for Rome Prize fellowships must be United States citizens at the time of application, except for those applying for the NEH post-doctoral fellowship in the Humanities (Ancient Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, and/or Modern Italian Studies). U.S. citizens and those foreign nationals who have lived in the U.S. for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline may apply for the NEH post-doctoral fellowships. Additionally, undergraduate students are not eligible for Rome Prize fellowships and previous winners of the Rome Prize are not eligible to re-apply.

Is there a fee for applying?
Yes, applications submitted and/or postmarked on or before 1 November require a $30 application fee. Applications submitted and/or postmarked from 1 November through 15 November require a $60 application fee. Applicants applying in more than one field, whose application is postmarked on or before 1 November, must submit a $40 application fee. Applicants applying in more than one field, whose application is postmarked from 2 November through 15 November, must submit a $75 application fee.

May I submit more than one application?
Applicants may submit applications to multiple categories for an additional fee (see below). The applicant must complete separate application forms for each category. Applicants may not submit more than one application in any one category (i.e. do not submit separate applications for sculpture and painting, only one Visual Arts application will be accepted).

Applicants applying in more than one field, whose application is postmarked on or before November 1, must submit a $40 application fee. Applicants applying in more than one field, whose application is postmarked from 2 November through 15 November, must submit a $75 application fee.

Is the fellowship open to applicants who work collaboratively?
Yes, collaborating artists/scholars may submit joint applications provided that the work is genuinely collaborative in nature as demonstrated by the materials submitted. In the case of joint applications, each individual must meet all eligibility requirements. Joint applications must be submitted in one package. Joint applicants selected as winners will share one prize.

How much is the stipend?
Winners of 6-month and 11-month fellowships receive stipends of $16,000 and $28,000, respectively. Winners of the 2 year fellowships receive $28,000 annually.

Is housing and board included in the fellowship?
Each Rome Prize winner will be provided with a bedroom with a private bath and a study or studio in which to work. Rome Prize winners are also provided with lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and lunch on Saturday. Rome Prize winners accompanied by a spouse/companion will be given a double room and meals for the companion will be offered at a subsidized rate. Those accompanied by children are housed in subsidized apartments on the Academy's grounds. Meals for children will also be offered at a subsidized rate.

May I bring my family with me to Rome?
Yes, the American Academy in Rome welcomes spouses/companions and children of Rome Prize winners. Families have been an important part of the social fabric of the AAR in recent years. Winners should bear in mind that the Academy’s Rome Prize Fellowships are currently funded to support the single individual who is the winner of the Rome Prize. Rome Prize Fellows who come with families will necessarily incur extra costs and responsibilities: they will have to pay rent for their lodging (though at a discounted rate, compared with current Rome housing costs) and pay for meals for children and family members taken at the AAR. Arranging for local schools and babysitting takes time and is the Fellow’s responsibility, though the AAR is able to provide background information and some contacts. Approximate costs for apartment rentals, meals and local school costs will be provided to winners when they are notified of the award so that they can budget accordingly.

Is travel to Rome provided?
Applicants are required to pay for their own travel to Rome. The Rome Prize winner will receive his/her first stipend payment 4 to 6 weeks before the Academy opens. This payment is substantially larger than subsequent payments to help with the costs of travel.

Is health insurance included?
No, and the Academy requires each Rome Prize winner and accompanying persons to have health insurance coverage and hospitalization insurance, including major medical. Proof of insurance must be provided before the residency begins.

May I bring my pet?
No, pets are NOT allowed at the American Academy in Rome. Anyone inadvertently arriving with a pet will be asked to find outside kennel accommodations.

Are the Academy buildings handicapped accessible?
While not all of the Academy's facilities are handicapped accessible, much of the McKim Mead & White building is accessible including some of the living spaces.

May I work while in Rome?
Rome Prize Winners may not hold full-time jobs while at the Academy. The Academy recognizes in some instances a winner may find it necessary to supplement his/her income with other awards, or that s/he may be commissioned to complete scholarly or artistic work while in Rome. Winners of the Rome Prize may hold other fellowships concurrently, as long as the requirements do not conflict with the Winner’s full participation in the Academy community. Applicants are required to disclose all fellowships and awards they expect to hold during their proposed residency in Rome, including sabbatical pay. The Academy may make adjustments to the stipends based on other awards intended to fund the project for which the Rome Prize was received.

Is speaking Italian a requirement?
No, speaking Italian is not required for application to the Rome Prize. However, if you receive the Rome Prize, life in Rome will be much simpler if you come to Italy with at least the basics of the language. The Academy provides a subsidized intensive Italian course to Rome Prize Winners shortly after their arrival.

When is the deadline?
The deadline for applying is 1 November. We do offer an extended deadline of 15 November for an additional fee. No applications will be accepted after 15 November.

Do you accept late applications?
We offer an extended deadline until 15 November for an additional fee. No application materials will be accepted after 15 November.

What is the schedule of the fellowship residency?
Eleven-month fellowships generally begin at the Academy in early-September and end at the beginning of August. Winners of six-month fellowships may choose to begin in early-September and end in early-March or begin in early-February and end in early-August.

Should the project proposal be related to Rome?
In the case of scholars, preference will be given to applicants for whom research time in Italy, and especially in the city of Rome, is essential, and who have not had extensive prior experience there. For artists, a demonstration of a need to be in Rome, or Italy, is NOT necessary. However jurors tend to respond positively to proposals of projects that would clearly benefit from time in Rome, Italy, and/or Europe.

Should the material submitted for review be related to Rome?
Material submitted for review does not need to be related to Rome. The primary criterion for the Rome Prize is excellence. Applicants should send examples of their strongest recent work.

When do you notify the applicants?
All applicants will be notified by mid-March.

If not selected, can I apply again?
Yes, we encourage applicants to apply again if not selected. Academy juries change every year, and a previous application in no way compromises an applicant's chances of winning a future fellowship. Many Rome Prize Fellows have applied more than once before being selected.